Second half is underway

Been running around today with Manny media at a pretty high level because it’s his first home game. He had some really nice things to say about his teammates and about Juan Pierre in general, which was cool. And hopefully things will be back to normal now that we’ve gotten this behind us.

The big thing is to keep on winning at the rate we’ve been doing so. It’s bound to be a good summer at the stadium and here’s hoping you guys will all be out here plenty to support the team.

LOL Beav!!! Geez!!! I’m with you. Not sure we have the prospects the Jays would demand anyway. I think our biggest problem is the common denominator, Honeycutt!!! Looks like we are definately going to have to find some relief help.

LOL, probably not Beav!!!!! I guess Schidt isn’t anywhere near returning. What ever happened to Ohman? JoJo is a bullpen killer. Doesn’t help that the starters can’t get past the 5th inning consistantly.

Good evening all!
Just sitting here enjoying watching one of the few Dodger games I can. FSW is broadcasting, and I’ve got the radio simulcast on the computer. Listening to Deshayes, and his lunch meat sidekick ranks up there with watching paint dry. I’d much rather listen to Vin, Charlie, and Rick. At least you can hear some emotion. The Houston announcers are just bland.
Hey enchanted! Did you enjoy the heat while you were here?

And this is also why Wolf is a #4 in any rotation – pitches just well enough to lose or get a ND, and still can’t go past 6 innings. Say what you will about lack of run support, I have to agree with a few others that he’s just not a winner. And that is why we don’t need another “Wolf-type” acquisition.

Torre stated at the break that the key to this whole thing is pitching, especially the starters going at least seven in the second half (see multiple bullpen injuries). Our hero went a strong SIX, gives up three straight hits to start the 7th, and he’s GONE! It’s a movie I’m really sick of watching. I mean, hell, tonight Jamie Moyer goes seven and gives up no runs, 1 hit…Cliff Lee goes 9 and gives up 1 run…even Ervin Santana goes 8 innings, 1 run in a win. Pitching seven innings is not like eating a plate of nails.

Gonna be a heck of a summer!!!!!! This team is a roller coaster. Obvious peaks and valleys!!! I just don’t have a lot of faith in our coaching and management right now. I think we have the horsepower, but can’t get it to the road!!!!

Glad to be awake, nelly…I had an awful dream….the Dodgers call up DeWitt again after another relief pitcher goes belly up. Comforting to know this could never happen, not with Uncle Joe, Honeycutt, and Conte watching the store. These darn nightmares…………..

Billz has gone at least 7 innings 10 times in 19 starts. That is exactly have of the 20 times our starters have gone 7. “Pitching seven innings is not like eating a plate of nails.
By kahliforni on July 16, 2009 9:57 PM” LOL!

Good Night jhall/Wally – Take Care and God Bless. We will get them tomorrow just like you said. We have a tendancy to come back strong after a loss we shouldn’t have had. Let’s hope they stick to the trend.

I don’t know how that compares to other teams, I’m betting we lead MLB in games of 1 inning or less – 208. I’m thinking there’s another way. Let’s try this simple scenario:

Three games, starter goes 6 in each. Remember the good ol’ days when we had Bellisario? As long as we had a lead, Torre would use him in the 7th, Troncoso in the 8th and Brox in the ninth. So in those three games, the BP goes nine, and none of the three are available for the next game. Or too tired to be effective.

Why not this?

1st game Bellisario goes 2, Brox 1
2nd game Troncoso goes 2, Brox 1
3rd game a rested Bellisario goes 2, Troncoso 1
The same 3 guys pitched the same 9 innings, but for the 4th game Brox is rested and Bellisario is available for an inning.

I don’t think I’ve manipulated anything here. Work in Mota and Leach here and there and your guys get more rest with the same innings.

At least I believe they will. I don’t think I could burn out so many so soon.

That is very good thinking Dodgereric, and that is why you are our ITD manager🙂

So, I am guessing Joe thought Randy was done, or why pull him and not let him try to get out of the jam himself? The cameras showed Randy in the dugout and he was not happy, and I am guessing he was made at himself.

By the way, I’ve had enough. I wrote another letter to the Times this morning.

“Is there any way possible for the media to stop telling us that Juan Pierre single-handedly kept the Dodgers’ boat afloat during Manny Ramirez’ 50-game forced vacation? He was actually two different guys – first the savior that the media portrays, then a less-than-ordinary banjo hitter for the majority. As Casey Stengel used to say, “You could look it up.” I did.

He certainly played his brains out for the first 20 games, hitting .407 (37 for 87). But he was actually subpar for the last 30 games, hitting .244 (31 for 127).

I’m guessing that some of the other guys on the team had something to do with their good record sans-Manny.”

Being Friday, it’s probably too late to have them print it. But it felt good getting it off my chest.

Good morning, everyone!
Frustrating game last night, being shut down by the Astro’s young gun and his successors on the mound. Kind of like the typical game with Wolf pitching. Not that Wolf is bad, but you just don’t expect him to win games much anymore. I was preoccupied during much of the game, and jhall and enchanted were carrying on in their typical good style, so there was not much to add. We don’t need another Wolf type of pitcher, but Torre, the idiot Joe, has been asking for pitching even before the season began, and he hasn’t got much help from F***Off Ned. Ned typically waits until the situation gets desperate, and then he acts in his typically desperate fashion. Can’t wait for his 2009 version.

If Frank and the team CEO are engaged in this at all, they should give Ned only one message – get us Halladay without giving up essentially the rest of the team, and that is that. Billz and Kershaw are not yet ready to bring us the Big Ring, Wolf and Kuroda don’t even know what the ring looks like, and Halladay would probably make a bigger difference than Manny ever will.

Don’t forget, when we were all screaming for Coletti to get some pitching in the spring, he kept telling us that “It’s not a finished product right now – there will be sellers at the trading deadline – blah, blah, blah.”

Well, it sounds like the Yankees and Red Sox are not the Blue Jays friends right now. As for us, hmmmmm…………they are looking for a shortstop and DeJesus might be that person……or perhaps DeWitt?…………he is on the big league roster right now as the article suggested. Out of JMac, Lindbolm and Ethan Martin, who would you give up?

Good morning ITD boys and girls!
I am tired!!! We got home VERY EARLY Thursday morning (like after 1 AM) from our trip to MN (family reunion). But it was fun. While we were in MN, I wanted to watch the HR derby, but we went out that night (I really didn’t want to go, but everyone else did, so I acquiesced). I saw the highlights that night on ESPN. But I DEFINITELY wanted to watch the A.S. Game. We got to see the first inning (no sound), but it took a long time to get back that I wasn’t able to pick the game back up until about the 7th inning. Too bad that I missed Billz in the game, but saw the O-Dawg single and steal second. Too bad that Ryan Howard had to strike out with runners on 2nd and 3rd. I saw parts of last night’s game; was dozing most of the time. From what I hear, I didn’t miss much.

My Nellygirl!!!
I would LOVE to have Halladay, but I’m afraid that we’d have to sell the farm to get him and then pony up mega $$$ to keep him. You mentioned DeJesus; is he better? I remember in ST that he broke his leg and was supposed to be out for the entire year healing. I don’t want to have DeWitt traded, but since both Raffy & Casey have 3 year contracts and I’m quite certain that the Dodgers will sign the O-Dawg to a contract extension, DeWitt very well could be the odd man out, and therefore, good trade bait. But you know that Toronto will ask for Billz or Kersh or, God forbid, both. Even if Toronto takes a JMac, Lindbolm or Ethan Martin, they’re still going to ask for a young pitcher like Billz or Kersh with MLB experience. At least, that’s what I see. And about your question on who would I give up out of JMac, Lindbolm and Ethan Martin, I have no clue…

My Nellygirl!
Okay, I see we’re still having time warp issues. I read your response about … no excitement other than the potential Grand Slam opportunity for #16… before I posted my thoughts on Halladay! Oh well!

About the reunion, it was a blast!!! It was in a complex that had a gymnasium that we used to shoot hoops, play a little volleyball, etc. That was Saturday. If we were ever going to go to the Metrodome to see a game, it would’ve been on Sunday. But we went to one of MN’s 10,000 lakes and had a BBQ and jet-skied! That was fun! Monday we went out for breakfast and then split up. We spent Monday and Tuesday nights in Emmetsburg, IA. That’s where Jim’s mom lives. Our flight out of Minneapolis wasn’t until 9:40 PM on Wednesday night, so we drove to the Mall of America and spent some 4 hours there. Man, that place is HUGE!!! There’s an amusement park and everything there!!! Then we flew home and like I said, by the time we got back home, it was after 1 AM on Thursday. I’m better now.

I did see that potential Grand Slam opportunity for #16, and I saw that he bounced into another double play. I don’t know, but this year, I’ve seen Andre swing at a lot of first and second pitches this year; certainly more than he’s been known for his first few years. Something has to be worked on there…

Well, that sounds like you had a fantastic time. I have only seen shows about the Mall of America, and it does look pretty impressive. I am glad you had a good time, and your travels seemed to be without any troubles. My husband’s aunts and a bunch of cousins are in IA. My mother-in-law is from there – Washington, IA to be exact, but the cousins are spread out all over the state now, mostly in the bigger cities, like Cedar Rapids and Des Moines.

As for #16, I am thinking he is just in a different role of hitting for power, so all the things that come with that are the things that are happening to him………………more strikeouts and more opportunities to do things like bouncing into double plays and force outs because he seems to always be up with runners on base. It’s frustrating to watch, but once he figures it all out, he will be just fine IMO. I am sure he was pretty mad at himself last night, but as they scanned the dugout when they were back up, he was chewing on his pumpkin seeds like always. In the end, I rather have him up to bat in that situation anytime over our 4th outfielder. At least Andre, we know has the potential and will, hit that Grand Slam or base clearing double some day. I can’t say that about our 4th outfielder.

But while we were in MN, even though I certainly wanted to see my Dodgers, I couldn’t. So I ended up watching the 9th inning of the Gnat’s no hitter by Sanchez. But I while I was in MN & IA, I was going thru some major baseball withdrawals. I couldn’t hear anything on the radio; and our rental car even had satellite radio. But it was Sirius, not XM. The timings of everything was such that I didn’t see anything on TV either. Oh well…

And enchanted, don’t you think that even if Toronto says okay to a package of JMac, Russell Martin and DeWitt for Halladay, don’t you think they’ll want a pitcher like Billz and/or Kersh who has MLB experience??? I mean, JMac has MLB experience, but not the kind that Kersh and certainly Billz already have…

Nelly – My brother-in-law lives in the Des Moines area. I looked up Washington, IA on Mapquest; weird. It says that there are two Washington, IA; one northwest of Cedar Rapids, the other one straight south of Cedar Rapids. Now why would there be two cities named Washington in the state of IA, with both in semi-close proximity to each other??? Strange… I’m not worried for #16 too. I too think he will be just fine. Did we ever say that we think a lot alike??? 🙂

We’d be taking on a bunch of extra salary too CP, so Toronto has to factor that in with JMac. Also, I can’t see a point of trading one front line starter for another. Trading Billz or Kersh for Halladay isn’t enough of an upgrade in the playoffs to justify it. It only works if you keep Billz and Kersh so you don’t have to use Wolf or Kuroda. If you go into the playoffs with say Halladay/Kersh/Kuroda its not much different than going in with Bills/Kersh/Kuroda.

Letting Kemp or Ethier go for a FA Pitcher would qualify as a Ned Coletti Panic Move for me. Just because SI is saying they’d need to be included doesn’t make it so… and if Lucky Neddy is a front runner for NL Executive of the Year, he should be creative enough not to leave us with only one young gun in the outfield with Defensive Greats Juan Pierre and Manny Ramirez.

I’m just haunted by that trade for Penny, and how he pitched one game until he was sidelined for the rest of the year. Yeah, good pitcher after that, and would’ve been killer in the ’04 Playoffs, but we got him for ’04, gave them half the team, and he failed to help us.

Halladay’s a “sure thing” for any teams to realize their World Series dreams? Yeah, the Dodgers were the “sure thing” team to win the NLCS and go to the Series last year… how did that turn out again?

Judging from the all-knowing tone of SI’s article, I guess this means we’re more likely to pawn Manny on them than Juanpy. And you know what? At this point, I’d rather they have their pick of those two, no questions asked, than to have them take Kemp or Ethier (but please, let’s lock them in soon.)

NSB, I agree with you about trading Ethier or Kemp. Neither of these two players is “surplus” with someone in the wings waiting to take their place. I would add Loney to your list for the same reason. I also don’t think it would make sense to trade Bills or Kershaw even for a more experienced starting pitcher just to win this year.

Well, like Dodgereric said, Ned said the team wasn’t complete, so maybe now is the time to make it complete. However, I agree………………common sense in who we give up is key, and common sense is not always how Ned’s strong suit, is it?

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